Re: Was there a point to this?
Why can't resellers or distributors offer services? Is consolidated billing the nirvana for end users? For instance, how many households have more than 2 services consolidated on one bill even though savings are offered? Even from the same vendor - e.g. car insurance? How many companies actually offer consolidated, multi-vendor billing if they are not finance sharks? Consolidation of bills is a possibility at reseller/disti level but end users and consumers are very different beasts. Name one major corporate who has two different telco vendors presented as a single invoice if not from a reseller of each of those vendors? The role of the channel has ALWAYS been aggregation and consolidation and it ALWAYS will be. Just a question of of embracing the new model and adapting techniques and systems. But possibilities don't diminish.
Most companies buying Cloud services actually pay annual bills, not because they save money. It's because they budget that way. The Cloud hasn't changed end user behaviour on that front but it has impacted the P&L model of the providers.
In the world of Cloud resellers are looking for direction and advice as to who are the players and how to access the market and what they will have to do differently. For disti's it's about presenting the opportunities and decreasing investment and risk for resellers. In reality, that's not a step change in the roles but it is in the model.
That's where the advice needs to be aimed - funnily enough few have anything practical to say so they just nay say or waffle.
Like me.
There is still time for the channel to participate - the swamp of vendors have just as little clue on how to take access the market - and that means opportunity.
Prophets of doom rarely make profits (I'll trademark that)
Biting the hand that feeds IT
